How to leave Germany in 2026: a checklist for deregistration, taxes, health cover and pension

You can leave Germany at any time without permission: the law only requires you to deregister within two weeks of moving out. Taxes, health cover, pension, benefits and documents are best settled before you go, so you never have to come back for paperwork.

In detail

What to do before leaving Germany

You can leave Germany for good at any time in 2026 without permission from the authorities. One step is compulsory: deregister at your local registration office within two weeks of moving out. Before you go, settle your taxes and health cover and tell German pension insurance and the family benefits office about the move. German citizens keep their citizenship.

The order is simple: first secure the right to live in the new country - registration in the EU or a residence permit elsewhere - then deregister and close contracts in Germany, then sort out taxes, insurance and payments. Each step is below.

How to deregister when moving abroad

You deregister at the registration office of your place of residence within two weeks of moving out, if you are not taking a new home in Germany. Deregistration is possible from one week before the move, and a late one can cost a fine of up to €1,000 (about $1,100). You state your new address abroad.

Keep the deregistration certificate: German embassies abroad ask for it when you apply for a passport or ID card, change the address in it, declare a new surname after marriage or order a German birth certificate.

After arrival, German citizens give their new address to the embassy or consulate-general. Travel with a passport valid for at least six more months; children need their own document, as entries in a parent's passport are no longer valid.

Which taxes do you pay after leaving Germany

Once you deregister, Germany taxes only income from Germany - rent from a flat, pay for work done in Germany, a German pension. While you keep a home in Germany, your worldwide income is taxed and tax paid abroad is credited. If Germany has a double tax treaty with your new country, income taxed there is exempt in Germany.

Owners of a stake of 1% or more in a corporation, such as a GmbH or a stock company, need to plan for exit tax. It applies if you were fully taxable in Germany for at least 7 of the last 12 years: the stake is taxed as if sold at market value. On application the tax is paid in 7 equal yearly instalments without interest, and if you return within 7 years the claim lapses.

What happens to your health insurance

If you start work in an EU country in the month after deregistering, you need no extra cover: the new country's system insures you. In all other countries, and if you do not work, you arrange cover yourself - private or public in the new country.

Pensioners who receive a German pension and move to the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland stay with their German health insurance fund. More on payments and cover after the move is in our guide to the German pension abroad.

Pension, unemployment benefit and child benefit after the move

A German pension is paid to any country, in the EU in full as in Germany. Report the move and your new account to German pension insurance early and confirm once a year that you are alive. Voluntary contributions can be paid from abroad and keep your right to a disability pension as well as an old-age pension.

If you are not an EU citizen and leave for a country outside the EU, you can have the half of the contributions you paid yourself refunded after 24 months outside German compulsory insurance, provided you cannot pay voluntary contributions.

Unemployment benefit can go with you if you look for work in another EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland: 3 months by right, extendable to 6 at the employment agency's discretion. Apply before you leave and get the PD U2 document, valid for one country. Citizen's income is paid to people living in Germany.

Child benefit goes to people who live in Germany or remain fully taxable there. Tell the family benefits office about the move so it can recalculate payments for the new country.

Do German citizens keep their citizenship

Yes. Since 27 June 2024 German citizens keep their citizenship when they take another one, and no permission is needed. Whether the other country lets you keep its passport depends on its law. A German citizen can return to Germany at any time without any permit.

Can you vote in Bundestag elections from abroad

Yes, German citizens can if they lived in Germany for at least three months in a row after turning 14 and this was no more than 25 years ago. You are not added to the electoral roll automatically: before each election apply to the municipality where you were last registered, at least 21 days before election day.

Voting is by post: ballot papers are sent to your address abroad. For European Parliament elections, German citizens living in another EU country for at least three months can also vote.

Checklist for moving out of Germany

1. Secure the right to live in the new country: in the EU you can live for up to three months on a passport or ID card, then register, and after five years you gain permanent residence; outside the EU you need a visa and a residence permit.
2. End your lease and contracts: electricity, gas, water, landline and mobile, internet, public transport pass, subscriptions, leasing and insurance you no longer need.
3. Deregister within two weeks of moving out and keep the certificate.
4. Tell the tax office, German pension insurance, your health insurance fund and the family benefits office about the move.
5. Set up mail forwarding with the post office and leave a trusted person in Germany for important letters.
6. Have diplomas, job references and certificates certified and translated; make copies of key documents.
7. Outside the EU, get an international driving permit: after a while the new country will ask for a local licence.
8. Used household goods enter most countries free of duty and VAT straight away or within 12 months of the move; an export declaration at customs is enough when you leave.
9. A dog, cat or ferret travelling in the EU needs an EU pet passport with a valid rabies vaccination, with up to five pets per person.
10. After arrival, register in the new country and give your address to the German embassy.

Choosing a country? Taxes, living costs and visas are compared in our guide to the best countries to relocate to in 2026, and for retirees in the best countries to retire abroad.

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